This is evangelism-equipping week at the Summit. As I explained this weekend, according to Ephesians 4:11 it is the saints who do the primary work of the ministry, and us pastors that to do the equipping. That’s why I say, tongue only slightly in cheek, that when I became a pastor I left the ministry. I became an equipper. The place that the power of God first intersects people in our world is not usually through me in the church, but through you in the community. Yes, the role I (and other pastors) play, of preaching of the word each week, is vital, and we all should bring people who are not Christians into our weekend services on a regular basis. There is a very special thing that happens when God’s people are gathered together and an anointed teacher is preaching the word (1 Cor 14:25). But, as one of our primary roles is ‘equipping’, all week we are going to put up tools and resources to help you get more equipped for the mission.
A GREAT WAY TO ACT ON THIS IS TO BRING SOMEONE WITH YOU THIS WEEK TO OUR ONECHURCH/ONE SERVICE AT THE DURHAM BULLS ATHLETIC BALLPARK.
Here is a short list of the best evangelism books we’ve read, compiled by one of our best staff evangelists, Daniel Simmons, who is our North Raleigh campus pastor. We hope these books will both equip and instill in you a fervency to share Christ with others.
Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman
Master Plan focuses on the strategy and principles of Jesus to carry the message of the gospel. Coleman highlights that Jesus lived, taught, and passed on to His disciples a lifestyle of evangelism. Many who read this book are challenged as they look their own self focused lives as opposed to what Jesus says through His word. This book does not give a method of how to share the gospel, but instead how Jesus wants all of us to leverage our lives for the advancement of the gospel.
Becoming a Contagious Christian Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg
There are few books that I have seen that are as practical and helpful as BACC. Hybels lays out a compelling vision for why we evangelize, namely that people matter to God, evangelism benefits those who share, and by showing how God wants to use us to reach people with the Gospel. One of the stronger aspects I found in this book are the many different evangelistic examples Hybels gives from the Bible. There are many ways that people have shared their faith, how they contextualized it to the culture they were in, and how different personalities communicate the gospel. There is also a clear way to share the gospel in the pages of the BACC. This is not a theology book on evangelism, but a very practical book on how to share the gospel.
The One Thing You Can’t Do in Heaven by Mark Cahill
The One Thing is written by a gifted and passionate evangelist, and he wants the reader to have a passion and a boldness to share the gospel they way he does. This comes across on every page. There are some points in the book that are not strong theologically, but I recommend this book because Cahill communicates the urgency of the need for us to open our mouths and tell people about Jesus.
Chapter 6 from The Fuel and the Flame by Steve Shadrach
The Fuel and the Flame is a book about college ministry. In it lies one of the best chapters I have ever read on evangelism. Shadrach goes through the many ways to expose people to the gospel and reveals his evangelism and ultimately ministry strategy. He lays out “4 Secrets for Winning Students to Christ” and, of all I have read about evangelism, these 18 pages have affected my personal evangelism more than any others. After reading these pages, I started to be able to lead people to Christ with much more frequency and ease than ever before. I highly recommend this chapter for every follower of Christ.
In addition to Daniel’s recommendations above, I would also direct you to my recommended reading list on the subject of evangelism and mission.
Do you have other suggestions?
